GAME DAY: Buffalo Sabres @ Ottawa Senators - 7:00pm ET - SAT. Dec. 4, 2010

The Ottawa Senators (11-14-1, 23 pts) welcome the visiting Buffalo Sabres (10-13-3, 23 pts) to Scotia Bank Place. While both teams sport similarly unimpressive numbers (actually tied for points after the same number of games), the details reveal a slightly different story. Over the last 10 games the Sabres are playing above .500 hockey (5-4-1) while the Senators have just 3 wins to show over the same stretch of games. It is only a testament to how weak the East is, that both teams are only 6 points out of a playoff spot. The two teams split their previous two meetings this seasons, with each victory coming on the road. ESPN's "AccuScore Projection" has that trend continuing, with Buffalo the 57% favorite (and, no, I have no idea what that evem means, but here's a link). The TwitSportsNet Prediction Panel predicts an Ottawa win by a 4-3 margin (again, don't ask).

Game Coverage:

TV: CBC,MSG-B (HD)
Radio: Team 1200
Web: http://goo.gl/fb/BHJJH
Also check ATDHE.net and JUSTIN.tv

Latest updates:
Ottawa GM Bryan Murray has threatened changes and, to prove he is not bluffing, he has placed two benchwarmers on waivers. That message was about as strong as a Filip Kuba wrister from the point.

TSN's Ice Chips:

Ottawa
Buffalo

Ottawa Senators Key Injuries:

None

Buffalo Sabres Key Injuries:

D Craig Rivet (12/3, undisclosed)
C Rob Niedermayer (11/21, knee surgery) on IR
C Tim Connolly (12/3, groin) day to day

Game Day Previews:

NHL.com
ESPN

Media Links:

SensTV On-line
Official Twitter of the Ottawa Senators

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GO SENS GO!!!

Elliott back in net?

EDIT: Yes.

http://twitter.com/NHL_Sens/status/11087440819257344

He's 9-0 vs the Sabres.

GO SENS GO!!!

SensReporter James Gordon
Today's factoid: Sens, Habs are the only two teams not to have participated in a shootout this season.

Sorry, my GDT is a bit like Kuba's wrister. I'm going to the open practice and have to leave in the next few minutes. No time to expand on some thoughts, but I'll point-form them here:
- Clouston still behind team
- says they practice hard and come out hard at start of games
- confidence is low and if chances don't go their way they wilt
- he needs room (cap and roster) to sit out the injured or underperforming
- Hale doesn't clear enough cap space (IMO); Murray has to move Lee

i ain't watchin the game tonight(work X-mass BS) so it's win!!!!!!!!

Elliott confirmed to start via Twitter by NHL_Sens. No other changes to the line-up - ie: no Butler call-up.

Stands to reason, Elliott needs to get back in there and his numbers are stellar against Buffalo.

Game notes for tonight:

http://senators.nhl.com/v2/ext/PDFs/gn-2010020382.pdf

Yeah no-brainer to go with Ells. Leclaire has lost his last two against Buffalo too. And since its a back to back situation, I really hope Clousotn does this right and regardless of the result tonight, gives Leclaire the start tomorrow.

Notes from the practice:

Elliot started out very slowly at practice today, but by the end he was very, very sharp. Not like that's any indication, but if it is, he'll be good tonight.

Lee was the last guy off the ice. Looked very forlorn. If he wasn't making an order of magnitude more than I am I'd probably be inclined to feel sorry for him. He also should be busting his balls in practice but he wasn't -- more reason to not feel sorry for him.

The Sens were hitting a ton of posts and crossbars in practice. One of the other parents sitting next to me figures it's because they are going for corners and shots just inside posts, but they do it in games, too. Maybe they should practice with smaller nets.

They had one drill where they had 2D and a goalie on each side, and then one forward line. All they did is skate the puck through neutral ice and either pass it off to one of the defensemen or dump in around the boards, so the goalie would handle the puck. They didn't take a single shot. Just like at a real game. (can I have a rimshot?)

I'm still amazed, every time I get to go near ice level, at the kind of skill they all possess, when even a lunchpail guy like a Chris Neil can take a bad pass off the skate, pass it up to his forehand, deke to his backhand and roof it from inside the crease. I was also impressed with some of the passing drills where they, literally made a return slap-pass to a guy at the blue-line from just 10-15 feet away. How come they never have crisp passes like that after 7PM? Did you see the cross-ice passes to set up Karlsson or Gonchar's one-timers last couple of games? Some of them barely made it across the ice.

Nice write up Prags.

The one thing I'll say is that they don't make those kind of snap passes after 7 PM because they're playing against equally skilled guys who won't let that happen.

Miller confirmed to start for the Sabres tonight.

shabbs wrote:Miller confirmed to start for the Sabres tonight.

Oh good, that will surely get the offence going tonight!

Why couldn't they be nice and start Lalime?

shabbs wrote:Miller confirmed to start for the Sabres tonight.

Why are they playing Miller in back to back so soon after coming back from injury?

SpezDispenser wrote:

shabbs wrote:Miller confirmed to start for the Sabres tonight.

Why are they playing Miller in back to back so soon after coming back from injury?

Good question. I watched the Sabres game last night though and Miller looked quite good. Looked to be in mid-season form and wasn't showing any ill effects of his injury. At the same time, he didn't have much work, only 20 shots I think, but he looked steady the whole game.

I guess they're just trying to get him back into his routine where he almost plays every game